1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to exercise bars and particularly to exercise bars for training that are multifunctional.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The sport of motocross cycling (either on motorcycles or bicycles) and other sports involving vehicles such as snowmobiles and personal watercraft have been enjoyed for years by thousands of people. These activities, however, are athletic in nature and, as such, require proper conditioning to perform at optimum levels. At the competitive levels, these sports require excellent physical conditioning to be able to participate with any kind of competence. Areas of conditioning include the hands, arms, the chest, back and shoulders. Since these vehicles are steered using handlebars, hand, arm, the chest, back and shoulder strength and flexibility are essential.
There are exercises that can develop the hands, arms, the chest, back and shoulders. These exercises can be done on exercise equipment such as a multi-function gym machine, which has weight bars that can be attached to cables that can be weighted down further. Weights are attached to the machine and the bars are gripped by the user to pull the weights in a particular direction and with particular arm spacing. In this way, different muscle groups can be worked.
To meet this need, I developed an exercise bar that be attached to any multifunction gym, rower or resistance band device. This bar is now the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,918.
That device is an exercise bar shaped like a motocross handlebar. In that design, the user grips the bar as he/she would grip a regular motocross handlebar. Thus, when working out, the user works those muscles in the hands and arms that normally are used in motocross riding. That invention has two ends that are formed to simulate a true handlebar, with grips that simulate a true handlebar. A support bar is added to the top portion of the bar for added stiffness and to provide support for a retractable shaft for pulling exercises. A telescoping hook is also provided at the bottom to support a dumbbell that can be suspended at the bottom of the bar. The top support bar also has an opening to allow a clip from an exercise machine cable to be attached. In this way, the bar can be attached to the machine and the user can use the bar in various exercises with the machine. The advantage, of course, is that with the invention, the user gets the maximum benefit from the workout for motocross riding.